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Caitlin Kelly
Politics
United States
New York City
New York
Brooklyn, NY

Legislator Profile: Laurie Cumbo – New York City Council District 35

by Caitlin Kelly
October 13, 2014
Brooklyn, NY
Overview of Profiles: Legislator profiles were designed to provide a snapshot of New York legislators, their issues of concern, any legislation they have been integral in passing, and how they might be interested in issues related to dance. This information was gathered through Internet research yielding news articles and through candidate's district and campaign website.
Office held: New York City Council
District: 35
Term: First
Party: Democratic
Committees and Leadership: Chair, Women's Committee as of January 2014

Office Location: 1 Hanson Pl Suite 201 Brooklyn, NY 11243

Phone: 718-260-9191

Email: M35@council.nyc.gov

Focus of 2013 Platform: Education Reform, Strengthen Not-for-Profits, Economic Development

Vote Results: 0% Reporting, Ran uncontested

Concerns as they relate to dance: Cultural development, afterschool programming with a focus on the arts, cultural organizations and youth centers


Biography:
Laurie A. Cumbo was born and raised in Brooklyn, where she attended and graduated from the Berkeley Carroll Day School in Park Slope and Brooklyn Technical High School in Fort Greene. After graduating Spelman College in Atlanta, GA with a degree in Fine Art, she returned to Brooklyn and received her Master's Degree in Visual Arts Administration from New York University. As a cultural leader, entrepreneur, activist, college professor, educator, lecturer and small business owner working in the not-for-profit sector, Ms. Cumbo has dedicated her life to community development and preserving the dynamic elements of diversity that make Brooklyn, New York what it is today.
At the age of twenty-two, while pursuing her graduate studies at NYU, Ms. Cumbo used her coursework and thesis to develop MoCADA, Brooklyn's first Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts. She incorporated MoCADA as a 501c3 non-profit institution with enthusiastic support from the Brooklyn community of Bedford Stuyvesant and surrounding neighborhoods. MoCADA's programs now include outdoor film festivals, after-school programs, mural projects, walking tours, and Bus Tours with "Braggin' About Brooklyn", in an effort to bring locals and tourists alike to Bedford-Stuyvesant. These efforts, along with many other dedicated individuals, have contributed to the economic revitalization of Bedford Stuyvesant.

Ms. Cumbo's dedication to underserved communities and bringing people of all backgrounds together to discover their commonalities continues to be at the forefront of her priorities. Ms. Cumbo has led an effort to turn public housing into an ideal venue for cultural events, in which she privately raised $150,000 to provide monthly cultural programming by world-class musicians and performers in the community centers and outdoor spaces. As a small business owner, Ms. Cumbo shares her community's concern about the closing of local businesses throughout Brooklyn. In 2012, she raised $250,000 to create monthly concerts and block parties in collaboration with the Business Improvement Districts throughout Central Brooklyn in order to attract locals and tourists alike to support local businesses.

Ms. Cumbo is a member of ARTTABLE, the American Association of Museums, the National Alliance of African and African American Art Support Groups, the Cultural Equity Group, the Downtown Brooklyn Arts Alliance and the Spelman College Alumni Association. She is an alumna of Achieving Leadership's Purpose (ALP), Jack and Jill of America Brooklyn Chapter and Delta Sigma Theta Brooklyn Chapter Teen Lift and is a former graduate professor in the School of Art & Design at Pratt Institute.

Source: (http://council.nyc.gov/d35/html/members/biography.shtml)

Interests: The arts, culture, education
News Clippings

Political upstarts move closer to ushering in new era in Brooklyn

City Councilwoman-elect Laurie Cumbo Apologizes for "Knockout" Comments

MoCADA's Laurie Cumbo: Looking for Pink Elephants

Lens: Laurie Cumbo

Labor Support Comes to 35th Council District Race

The Stars of the Dance Tonight

A Museum Grows in Brooklyn

DeBlasio Hopes for a Populist Arts Revival

Neighborhood Report: Bedford-Stuyvesant; Little Museum, Big Dreams: Art of the African Diaspora

CB2's Fight for Long Island College Hospital

MoCADA Reimagines Haiti

Looking for Equity in Arts Financing

Lit Life: Cookies, Milk and Magic Afros

Vision

CB2 Supports Myrtle Pedestrian Plaza

On Brooklyn Stoops Artist Cultivates Debate

For New York City Council

Literary Fest: A Remixed Prophet in a Changed Brooklyn

Telling the Story of New York's Hip Hop Scene, Clip by Clip

Art in Review

Architecture; Build Your Dream, Hold Your Breath
Laurie Cumbo Photo Credit: NYC Council Website

Laurie Cumbo
Photo Credit: NYC Council Website

Photo © & courtesy of Unknown


New York City Council District 35 map (Credit: <a href='http://council.nyc.gov/d35/html/members/map.shtml' target='_blank'>http://council.nyc.gov/d35/html/members/map.shtml</a>)

New York City Council District 35 map
(Credit: http://council.nyc.gov/d35/html/members/map.shtml)

Photo © & courtesy of Unknown

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